Open letter to the American ADA by Dr. Hal Huggins

OPEN LETTER TO THE AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION

From Hal A. Huggins DDS, MS

As a New Year's Resolution, why not release the truth about the mercury issue and remove the requirement for mercury from dental schools and dental offices?

In 1996, you were the primary cause that my licence was revoked to practice dentistry in the State of Colorado for 3 primary reasons:

No. 1. I refused to refer patients to have amalgam placed.

No. 2. I refused to refer patients to have root canals done.

In legalese, "Respondent has engaged in acts or omissions which fail to meet generally accepted standards of dental practice or which constitute grossly negligent dental practice in violation of Section 12-35-118(1)(j)."

No. 3. I wrote a book (It’s All in Your Head) that you did not like.

"Respondent has engaged in advertising which is misleading, deceptive and false in violation of Section 12-35-118 (1)(k)"

As a side bar, in 1998 the Appellate Court of the State of Colorado said I have the right to say what I want in "Its All in Your Head",and that there was nothing in the book that was misleading, deceptive or false.

It will be very difficult for you to admit that dental mercury is the “tsunami of world human health today” - as it has been since its inception in the early 1800's.

But, as the world is now demonstrating, life is revered in the Asian countries.

Let us revere quality of life in the rest of the world.

Let's start our request with the scientific facts that we both agree upon.

There are three forms of mercury commonly encountered on our planet.

1) HgO - This is known as mercury vapor. It's attacks are primarily directed toward the Central Nervous System.

2) Hg++ - This is the ionic form of mercury, and its actions are usually acute and high in magnitude.

Ionic mercury does not travel much, so its actions are reasonably limited to its adjacent areas. Its preferred target is the kidney, and it is transported there by the blood stream.

3) CH3Hg+ - Methyl mercury. One of the most deadly forms of mercury due to its ability to travel anywhere in the body, cross all "barriers" and enter all cells releasing its lethal message.

We also agree that: Toxicity, or cell death from mercury, is accomplished by the following mechanisms:

♦ Rupturing the cell membrane This allows all the cell contents to escape, rendering whatever was manufactured within that cell useless to the body.

It also allows enzymes and organelles to enter the blood stream, thus adding additional work for the liver and kidney in detoxifying them from the blood.

♦ Causing single strand breaks in the DNA (our life template)

This can lead to birth defects as well as improper duplication of new cells forming in the body.

♦ Causing DNA-DNA cross-links This is (by definition) the primary step in the formation of cancer.

♦ Can lyse the DNA This is the cutting and subsequent inactivating of DNA.

♦ Causing mitochondrial interference Mitochondria is the area within our cells in which the primary energy molecule (ATP) is manufactured.

♦ Causing interference with nerve impulse transmission Which can lead to neurological diseases as well as emotional abnormalities.

♦ Alters the 3-D structure of enzymes Twisting of molecules, especially enzymes, prevents them from activating life giving chemical reactions that keep our bodies alive.

♦ Interferes with DNA repair Millions of chemical reactions take place in our bodies every second.

Occasional mistakes are made in DNA duplication. There is a repair enzyme (reductase)that corrects these mistakes. Mercury inactivates that repair enzyme.

♦ Altering the cell membrane permeability Chemical reactions within cells require specific raw materials, and they cannot take place when other chemicals are present.

The cell membrane "selectivity" allows "proper" chemicals to enter, while others that would inhibit proper reactions are excluded.

This is termed cell membrane selective permeability, and is the crux of cellular integrity.

♦ Destroying lysosomes within cells This is probably the most damaging action of mercury, created by entering a cell and just touching a lysosome.

Lysosomes are the "death cells" that cause a body to disintegrate upon death.

These should only be released at the time of death, not before, as in the case of mercury.

Chemicals released by mercury touching a lysosome release hydrolytic enzymes that immediately destroy the cell contents and surrounding structures.

In addition to toxicity, we both can agree that mercury can:

♦ Alter endocrine function

♦ Alter enzyme function

♦ Displace other minerals such as calcium, magnesium, oxygen, iron and zinc and chromium in biological reactions

♦ Bind to hemoglobin on oxygen carrying sites

♦ Cause alterations in digestion and absorption

♦ Cause the formation of plasmids (altering antibiotic action)

We can also agree that this is only a partial list of the destructive capabilities of mercury in its various forms.

Despite the fact that it has been published in many areas, we do not always agree that mercury comes out of fillings.

If mercury does come out of dental amalgam fillings, there are several mechanisms that could be responsible for mercury release:

1) Compression Chewing increases the release of mercury from fillings, as shown in dental publications.

Just tapping a spoon on a filling increases mercury release that can be photographed.

Traumatic injuries to the head (as in auto crashes) can release an enormous amount of mercury vapor.

2) Abrasion

This is similar to compression, but abrasion can occur (from foods or chewing gum) on the surface of a filling in the absence of significant compression.

3) Chemical By definition, galvanism (generation of electrical current due to a reaction between two dissimilar metals in an electrolyte) releases chemicals from amalgam fillings.

With amalgam, 16 different corrosion products, as well as copper and mercury, are chemicals that have been reported to be released from amalgam.

Chemical reactions between fillings and acidic foods as simple as soft drinks, or vinegar and oil dressing, cause the release of mercury vapor and other metals from amalgam fillings.

4) Electrical (as the result of chemical interactions)

The multiple complex chemical reactions within amalgam upon setting, (which we both admit are not completely understood), do evolve around 3 basic chemical interactions.

They are the:

A) Solid Solution, in which two metals are miscible in the liquid state and remain mixed upon solidification.

There is no chemical bonding involved.

Inexplicably, the mixture, although not chemically mediated, does result in higher tensile strengths, more ductility (ability to conduct electrical current), and greater hardness.

B) Intermetallic compounds involve metals which have a tendency to unite in a definite conformation in the liquid state (as in amalgam while being mixed) and maintain this definite position in every space lattice upon hardening.

Some of these compounds are brittle, but their properties are entirely different from the individual metals making up the compound.

C) Eutectic mixtures are metals that mix together in the liquid phase (as in mixing of amalgam), but precipitate intermittently into thin layers of one metal laying over another.

Again, no chemical bonding is present. This is all mechanical.

In dental amalgam, copper and silver layer upon each other in the ratio of 72% silver to 28% copper. Copper tarnishes easily and forms toxic oxides.

Eutectic mixtures are usually harder and more brittle than their component metals and are noted for their increased ability to corrode.

5) Temperature

First year high school chemistry teaches that, in general, chemical reactions double in speed with every 10 degree Centigrade increase in temperature.

If this is true, then comparing amalgam in the mouth at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit to amalgam at a room temperature of 72 degrees, the chemical reactions in the mouth would be roughly 250% faster than at room temperature (as in the case of scrap amalgam discussed later).

I think we agree that the first chemical reaction of amalgamation occurs when the five metals are being mixed by the dentist.

Mercury diffuses into the metallic alloy particles reacting with silver and tin to form silver-mercury and tin-mercury compounds.

Strangely enough, the higher the tin concentration with the silver mercury compound itself, the greater the speed of corrosion.

The addition of high levels of copper (in 1976, the ADA created and patented "high copper amalgam") brought more copper to the silver-tin particles to create a reaction with copper to form copper-tin products.

Interesting that the amount of mercury in the original 8 to 5 mixes taught to me in an ADACertified dental school (62.5% mercury - which was squeezed in a cloth to eliminate some of the mercury) did not furnish adequate liquid mercury to completely react all of the metals in the powdered alloy mixture.

About 27% of the original silver-tin mix remained as un-reacted particles held in place mechanically by the rest of the amalgam metals.

Today's drier mixes of only 50% mercury with the powder would potentially leave more un-reacted metals in the final set of amalgam.

Un-reacted copper-tin fragments, free tin, free silver and free mercury are contained within the mixture after the setting process is complete.

Now, finally getting to the bottom line of electricity, mixing all of these non or semi-reacted metals together we have what is called dental silver-mercury amalgam, the most common tooth filling material in the world.

When this amalgam is exposed to warm saliva full of organic reactive chemicals from foods plus bacteria, an electrical current is generated.

This electrical current is generated between multiple anodes and cathodes within the fillings, releasing mercury at the cathodic areas.

If gold crowns are also present in the mouth, the electrical reactions are many times faster.

This "electrolytic oxidation" forms mercury vapor on the surface of the amalgam, which can react with the aid of oral bacteria to form methyl mercury.

Chlorides and oxides of many amalgam components occur,which are relatively soluble in saliva.

Of course you agree, that is obvious, for you recommend that dentists cover scrap amalgam (the remnants of removing old amalgam fillings, or the carved off excesses of freshly placed amalgam) for storage.

Historically, scrap amalgam was originally stored in an empty can with no lid.

Then, it was recommended that amalgam be covered with water and a tight lid be used.

The next ADA recommendation was that amalgam be stored under glycerin, in a tightly sealed container, while awaiting the dental wives auxiliary club to pick it up and sell it for money for worthy causes.

Today, it is to be kept in closed containers under glycerin and picked up by hazardous waste teams (the guys in white "moon suits") for disposal along with other hazardous wastes.

Some patients are concerned as to why amalgam can no longer be flushed down the toilet in deference to protecting the sewage.

Why are dentists advised to use an ADA created "no touch" technique when placing amalgam where the patient can lick it 24/7.

Why is the HazMat team involved in what was in their mouths?

They want to know why their mouths are the only safe place to store amalgam?

We do not agree on the answer to that. Historically the ADA has claimed (in Science Digest in 1984) that only 5% of the people are sensitive to mercury.

This was changed the next month to 1%. Next, it was only 50 cases ever reported where mercury from amalgam was suspect.

Today, Cynthia Trajtenberg, DDS, (Professor of Restorative Dentistry and Dental Biomaterials Specialist, at the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston) reports that amalgam is absolutely 100% safe.

I don't think so.

Neither do many toxicologists and chemists.

Most of the stricken patients I have spoken with over the past 35 years of this Amalgam War hold no grudge toward their dentists.

They do not even bear hard feelings toward the ADA.

They are just happy to have their lives back - but they do NOT WANT what happened to them to happen to others.

They want you to stop the unnecessary implantation of mercury into other trusting, unsuspecting human beings.

Are you willing to honor their plea?

You struck me down nearly 10 years ago for blowing the whistle on the dangers of mercury.

After the discomfort afforded me by your actions, I have yet to conform to your desires.

I am personally stronger in my feelings about banning mercury than before your strike against me and the many other dentists who have given up their licences rather than contaminate their patients with mercury.

If we can agree on so many scientific topics, why not agree to remove amalgam from the dental office on the chance that mercury might be hazardous to the body.

You can hurt me no more, but my tattered banner still waves, joining those recovering patients in asking you to step down from your defense of mercury, and "let the people go" from the bondage of mercury, “the messenger of death.”

Hal A. Huggins DDS, MS 5082 List Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80919 Toll-free 866-948-4638 • Fax 719-548-8220 www.drhuggins.com email@drhuggins.com _____________________ Hal A. Huggins DDS, MS CC: USA and Other Countries